Truck Operators demand 28 percent GST on diesel

Jalandhar(DP Correspondent) – On a call given by All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), theAll India Punjab Truck Operators Union on Monday went on two-day strike demanding28 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on diesel. All India Motor Transport Congress had given a strike call on October 4, after which 93000 truckers under All India Punjab Truck Operators Unionremained off roads in Punjab.The strike affected the peak paddy procurement and lifting season in the state, as it would conclude on Tuesday evening. Paddy lifting would resume on Wednesday morning.President of All India Punjab Truck Operators Union Happy Sandhu said that the centre government should impose 28 percent GST on diesel, so as to save the trucking business in the country. “In Punjab, truckers were paying around 90 percent tax on diesel, the price remains at a whopping Rs 58 per litre affecting the business”, he said. Sandhu said that if 28 percent GST was imposed on diesel, the price would directly come down to Rs 43 per litre. “We are against the GST, diesel price hike and centre government’s wrong policies against the truckers. Across the country, over 90 lakh truckers were out of business for the two days”, he added.He also said that the truckers were already paying hefty taxes to the state and the centre government but the heavy imposition of GST has caused a huge setback. “A new truck costs Rs 35 lakh and on an average a trucker pays around Rs 10 lakh as tax. Apart from this, if the truckers have to pay Rs 58 per litre for diesel, we would be ruined. The government should reconsider its decision and assist the truckers”, he added. The truckers also maintained that the country’s economy was already on a downward spiral and such decisions were affecting them badly. They also maintained that the trucks have a direct competition with the railways. “Whenever diesel prices soared and truck freight increased, traders prefer railways as a cheaper mode of travel”, they said.